What's the Ideal Temperature for Pour-Over Coffee? Five Techniques and Features for Drip Bag Pour-Over Black Coffee

When newcomers to coffee visit a new café, they often opt for a pour-over coffee. One of the most enjoyable aspects of drinking coffee out is watching the barista process and brew the coffee beans you've ordered.

Interestingly, every café's barista uses different equipment, water temperatures, and other variables when brewing coffee beans. Those familiar with the basics of pour-over coffee can understand the barista's techniques based on the coffee beans' basic information.

Compared to office coffee machines, some might wonder: is pour-over coffee really better than machine-made coffee? FrontStreet Coffee conducted a comparison and published an article on their official account, mentioning that drip coffee machines are typically factory-set with water temperatures, pouring methods, and other parameters before leaving the factory. As consumers of these drip coffee machines, the only variables we can control are the amount of coffee grounds and their grind size. Therefore, different brands, types, and designs of drip coffee machines will produce coffee with varying flavors and textures even when using the same coffee beans. It's common for some to taste good while others don't.

FrontStreet Coffee's most recommended approach is the fully manual, hands-on process. If you prefer cold coffee, you can try cold brew, iced drip, or iced pour-over. If you like hot coffee, then pour-over is the way to go.

Those who have visited FrontStreet Coffee's physical stores know that FrontStreet Coffee offers two types of coffee: espresso and drip coffee, with the latter including only iced drip and pour-over. Among all coffee types, pour-over coffee is FrontStreet Coffee's most frequently served offering.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Philosophy

FrontStreet Coffee's baristas have written numerous articles explaining the basics of pour-over coffee, such as grind size standards and water temperature. With nearly fifty different coffee beans on FrontStreet Coffee's menu, how do FrontStreet Coffee's baristas develop brewing plans for each coffee bean's characteristics? The roast depth determines water temperature, grind size, and filter cup.

Brewing Methods by Roast Level

For example, African coffee beans are characterized by bright acidity and are mostly medium to light roasted. Due to the lighter roast, coffee compounds dissolve more slowly. To extract good acidity and aroma, higher water temperatures (93°C) and finer grinds (80% pass-through on China standard #20 sieve) are used. Since higher temperatures accelerate dissolution, to avoid over-extraction from prolonged contact between water and coffee grounds, faster-flowing filter cups are used (FrontStreet Coffee recommends Hario V60).

For darker roasted coffee beans, compounds dissolve more quickly, so lower water temperatures (88°C) and coarser grinds (70% pass-through on China standard #20 sieve) are used. Due to the lower temperature, dissolution slows down relatively. To avoid under-extraction from water passing through coffee grounds too quickly, slower-flowing filter cups are used (FrontStreet Coffee recommends KONO filter cups).

Feeling inspired to try brewing yourself? Don't worry, FrontStreet Coffee will first recommend some pour-over coffee beans so you can try both methods.

Coffee Bean Recommendations

For light roast representation, you can try the washed Yirgacheffe from FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series. FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series includes coffee beans from various important producing regions, offering great value for coffee beginners to quickly discover their preferred regional flavors. To help everyone taste the most fundamental regional characteristics, most coffee beans in this series are processed using the washed method.

Ethiopia is the coffee producing country that beginners most often hear about and taste. Within Ethiopia, the Sidamo and Yirgacheffe regions are most famous. Sidamo region coffees are predominantly natural processed, characterized by berry acidity, creamy texture, and aromatic qualities. Meanwhile, Yirgacheffe region coffees have been presented using washed processing since the 1970s. Washed Yirgacheffe coffee features intense white floral aromas, lemon acidity, and a clean, refreshing mouthfeel that's truly captivating.

FrontStreet Coffee: Washed Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans
Region: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Region
Altitude: 1800-2000 meters
Variety: Local indigenous varieties
Processing: Washed processing
Brewing flavors: Jasmine, berries, lemon, citrus

Yirgacheffe region was originally part of Sidamo region, but due to Yirgacheffe coffee's unique white floral characteristics, coffee farmers from other Ethiopian regions began labeling their coffee as Yirgacheffe. Eventually, Yirgacheffe had to be separated from Sidamo to become its own distinct region.

FrontStreet Coffee's deep roast representative also comes from the daily bean series - a Mandheling from Sumatra, Indonesia. Like Blue Mountain coffee, Mandheling coffee gained fame in the last century, with richness as its hallmark. It's also the first choice for those who dislike pronounced coffee acidity.

The unique post-harvest processing regulations in Sumatra, Indonesia give Mandheling coffee its distinctive flavor, and Mandheling's flavor profile has made this processing method famous. Due to Indonesia's unpredictable weather, which doesn't meet the conditions required for natural processing, combined with local economic limitations, a unique semi-washed processing method - the wet-hulling method - was developed.

Coffee beans processed using the wet-hulling method have a thicker, smoother mouthfeel, and can reveal spice and herbal aromas as the temperature changes.

FrontStreet Coffee: Indonesia Mandheling Coffee Beans
Region: Indonesia Sumatra Lintong Region
Altitude: 1100-1600 meters
Variety: Tim Tim, Ateng
Processing: Wet-hulling method
Brewing flavors: Toast, nuts, caramel, pine, herbs

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)
For professional coffee knowledge exchange, please add WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473